So, does this mean there's no way to purchase a CC program outright? Do you always need to keep paying membership fees regardless of whether you need to receive program (updates)?

In my case, I simply need CC for InDesign as documents I'm now need to work with were created by another designer using CC and I can't open them. It would certainly help if purchasing the program without paying monthly (yearly) fees were an option.

So, does this mean there's no way to purchase a CC program outright? Do you always need to keep paying membership fees regardless of whether you need to receive program (updates)?

Correct. Adobe Cloud is a rent-only subscription model. You pay, the software works. You get all updates, upgrades, new and enhanced features included in your membership for no extra cost. You stop paying, the software stops working.